


If Love Is The Answer (You’re Home)

by FangirlOfMany57



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, First Kiss, Happy Ending, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29934591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlOfMany57/pseuds/FangirlOfMany57
Summary: Levi Ackerman is a man of few words and generally keeps to himself. And then comes along the game changer - a man who’s caught his attention and his heart. Get ready for casual banter and two men too awkward for their own good trying to sort out their feelings for one another!
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith
Kudos: 20





	If Love Is The Answer (You’re Home)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Daft Punk’s “Touch” feat. Paul Williams!
> 
> Hi everyone :) so this is my first ever fic in this fandom and the first fic after a dry spell of writing ideas and HEAVY procrastination. This work was not beta-ed so sorry for any errors!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are always appreciated - enjoy! :D

“Welcome to 'Kenny’s Lounge'!” 

Sasha’s bright, cheerful voice could give any overworked salary-man a little bit of an energy boost whenever they came barreling in after an after-work drinking session or a soul-draining overtime with absolutely no promise of a promotion or an incentive to make up for it. 

‘Kenny’s Lounge’ was a small family restaurant located on the first floor of a law firm that rested amongst the towers of Roppongi Hills in the heart of Tokyo’s CBD area, and was one that ran its business deep into the night; typically calling it a successful day by three in the morning and resuming business once more later in the afternoon when office workers began to form the much dreaded lunch crowd. It was an uncommon feat for a family restaurant to attempt running a business in such an area of Tokyo, especially when local fast food chains dominated the salary-man catered market. However, Kenny Ackerman was no ordinary man - his wit, charm and quick thinking got him the space and with a little bit of persuasion (using the ‘but we’re family!’ trump card is not only an extremely effective way to win a favour from your nephew, but also a great way to make them despise you more), the man got himself a lot to set up a humble sized eatery and a team of five to help run the operations when he wasn’t around, which was often. 

Despite the general half-hearted opinion that most people had about Kenny and his frightening nephew Levi, one couldn’t deny the Ackerman’s mastery over making simple but mouth-watering dishes. When Kenny was off doing God knows what, Levi would predominantly spend his time in the kitchen managing the staff and having a hand in preparing the food too instead of dealing with customers which he very much despised. Sasha and Connie, both teaching assistants and friends from the university he worked in, would occasionally give him a hand with preparing the ingredients and refilling of stocks as well as attempt to prepare the food (Sasha was generally fine, but Connie burning pasta because he didn’t know he needed to boil it first placed him in the ‘peeling vegetables’ section which he was very happy to oblige in). 

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was a slow evening, and Sasha’s favourite customer has just finished ordering their usual BLT sandwich and soup set to go. 

“ _ Otsukaresamadeshita _ , Mr.Pixis! It must’ve been a drag coming into the office on a Sunday and staying till late, huh?” Sasha mused, packing up his order and sneaking a blueberry muffin because 1) she was sure Levi won’t mind and 2) the blueberry muffins weren’t selling that much so that had to go somewhere other than the trash can or her stomach. The lawyer gave a light chuckle and shook his head. 

“Ah, it wasn’t all that bad actually! ’Twas just training a rookie who just joined us on Friday, so I decided to show him the ropes before his first week in Survey Corps Co. to make his life a little easier.” Pixis received his order and thanked Sasha for the extra muffin before continuing. 

“I say this, but the man has prepped way beforehand and had taken in everything I said well enough. Seems he’s no stranger to this…thinking about it, I believe I read that his father's a big-shot lawyer in another firm. Hah, must’ve wanted to prove a point to his old man or something. Eh, either way, you’ll be seeing him hanging around here soon enough. It’s hard to miss him, ya know? Big, tall, blonde - quite a looker if I do say so myself.” Pixis wiggled his eyebrows, earning a giggle from Sasha and now Connie who shimmied over to partake in the gossip session. Levi found himself leaned against the entrance to the kitchen, listening in as well. 

_ ’Big, tall, blonde, eh? Hm, must be a hit with ladies and some guys too’  _ Levi mused to himself, rolling his eyes at the thought of some starry-eyed lady trying to hand this hot-shot of a rookie a box of homemade chocolates on Valentines Day or some guy sneaking a box of candies onto his desk with an anonymous confession or an invite for drinks after work. 

Pixis bid them farewell and the first floor was once again enveloped in a calm stillness coupled with an occasional phone call or the sound of the receptionist typing away on her keyboard. The sun was setting and the city was coming to life, and though the restaurant was meant to stay open till late, Levi had half the mind to close shop earlier and head home to finish up some of the paperwork he had pending from his day job. The spring semester was about to begin, and with Levi being the in-charge of the Educational Affairs Department, it meant his weekdays were spent sorting various request forms from professors and students trying to cancel classes beyond the cancellation period. It was hell on earth, but it was a hell he was very used to and frankly quite enjoyed being part of. That chaos was way more welcomed than trying to manage a kitchen during lunch hour with Kenny gone most of the time. The sudden *ping* from the elevator broke Levi out his reverie, and his eyes landed on whom he presumed to be the hot shot Pixis was just talking about. 

“OH! Levi, look! It’s h-”

“Keep your voice down, Sasha, or I swear to God you’ll be on dishwashing duty for the next three shifts” Levi hissed. Sasha grumbled but got excited again when she realised the infamous man of the hour was making his way to their little shop. She gave a little whisper-shout to Connie through the kitchen door and quickly ran up to the counter to get into position. The oldest amongst them merely rolled his eyes and decided to clean the tables so he could avoid any kind of interaction with the new guy. It wasn’t that Levi hated social interaction (well, he does to a certain degree) but he wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with the rookie’s persona. You know the kind - overconfident, tries too hard, preppy and over-achieving with a touch of ‘i’m better than you’. He’s seen it all, and slowly began not only noticing the recurring patterns and traits, but also developing a deep sense of dislike for them too. This man, Levi concluded, will not be any different. 

“Welcome to ‘Kenny’s Lounge’, sir! I’ve not seen you around here before...are you new?” Sasha asked, barely masking the cheekiness in her voice. Levi mentally did a face-palm, but continued on cleaning the tables as if he hadn’t half the mind to step in. 

“Yes I am, actually! Heh, I guessed as much that you guys have a lot of familiars here in this building huh...My name is Erwin Smith, I’m starting with the Regional Firm on the 14th floor with Mr Pixis.” The man took a pause to take a look at the menu before looking back at Sasha. 

“What do you recommend? I’m not really in a hurry to get back so I’m down for a solid meal,” Erwin said, eyeing the pasta section quite intensely. 

“If it helps make you leave any quicker, I’d suggest getting the ‘Cream & Tuna’ pasta set,” Levi interjected, throwing a quick glance at Erwin before heading into the kitchen to join Connie. 

“That’s Levi - don’t mind him really, he’s always grumpy,” Sasha whispered, a cheeky wink following suit. Erwin couldn’t help but smile. 

“Is that so? Well, grumpy or not, he sure has great taste. I’ll take Levi’s recommendation, then. Garlic toast for the side dish and orange juice for the drink, please.” Sasha repeated his order for the kitchen crew and told Erwin to take a seat whilst the food’s being prepared. She then made her way into the kitchen to give the other two men a helping hand. 

“He’s a hunk for sure,” Sasha started, causing Connie to nearly drop the can of tuna in utter shock and making Levi look up from preparing the sauce, an eye-brow raised in what can only be amusement. Despite his grouchy introduction and standing notion he has of the man, Levi cannot deny that up-close, Erwin was very much attractive. And was very much his type. And was very much annoyed at the fact that he felt the way he did. Pretending to not agree, he let out a small ‘tch’ before continuing to stir the cream, making sure it didn’t burn. 

“Are you...perhaps...interested in him, Sasha?” Connie asked with a sly smile, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Sasha’s eyes widened for a second before laughing and swatting him with a dish rag; the both of them doubled over in laughter, causing Levi to let out an involuntary huff of amusement as well. 

“Alright you two, that’s enough. Sasha, set up the plates and go serve the ‘hunk’ you’ve got your eyes on,” Levi instructed, failing to keep a straight face. Sasha let out a ‘yessir’ before stopping dead in her tracks as she was almost out the kitchen door. Slowly turning around with a mad grin on her face, she slowly approached Levi and handed him the tray. 

“What do y-”

“Levi,  _ you  _ go serve the ‘hunk’.” 

“Huh? Why me?”

“ _ Because…  _ I know that man’s your type and you’re probably in denial but who knows! He might be a decent one despite your preconceived notions - so stop dilly-dallying, serve him the food and get his phone number.” 

“You’ve got some nerve, I’ll tell you that.”

“Just go already!” And with that, Sasha gently shoved Levi out of the kitchen, forcing the man to comply with her whether or not he wanted to. 

_ ‘Ah, fuck. Here goes nothing, _ ’ Levi mutters to himself before heading over to Erwin who was reading a document with great concentration, papers and files opened and scattered on the table in front of him. Clearing his throat to make his presence known, Levi donned his best poker face and went “Your order, Sir”. Erwin looked up immediately and gave him a dazzling smile, a beat passing between them before he realised that Levi was still standing there whilst looking down at the cluttered table. Finally getting the hint, embarrassed, Erwin quickly shoved the papers and files into his bag before muttering a quick ‘Sorry about that’. Levi merely rolled his eyes, and placed the tray down on the table. Admittedly, he didn’t want their interaction to simply end there and perhaps try saying more to Erwin, but his lack of social skills did not help in the ‘trying-to-make-conversation’ department and thus was stuck with the only option but to walk away without another word. Giving a curt nod, he turned and began making his way back to his post when Erwin suddenly spoke up. 

“You don’t say much, do you?” 

Levi froze in his tracks and turned his head to face the man who made the rather spot-on assumption of him. 

“And what about it?” Levi retorted, slightly offended by the sudden remark - his snark as clear as day. 

“Nothing, it’s just that Sasha was super talkative, and I believe your other colleague back there and her chat quite a fair bit. You, on the hand...Levi was it? You don’t say very much.” Erwin continued. Levi had fully turned his body to face the lawyer who was currently munching on a stick of garlic toast. 

“An astute observation. You lawyers are the pinnacle of intelligence huh?”

“Well, I suppose. If I possessed your confidence and snark, I might just become a decent one. But alas, I’m just a low-ranking rookie,” Erwin responded, shrugging in what looked like defeat. Levi was taken aback by the uncharacteristically lack of smugness or even challenge in Erwin’s reply. It was almost as if...he really thought that way of himself. 

“You...you can’t say that about yourself,” Levi began, his voice quiet but determined. “You’re still new around here, aren’t you?” 

“Well, yes, but -” 

“Then work hard and do the best you can, idiot.” 

Suddenly, they both went quiet. Erwin stopped chewing to properly look up the man before him and Levi was starting to grow redder from the undivided attention and the growing silence between them. With tension so thick, needless to say, both men found themselves in a situation neither of them thought they’d be in. Erwin gently placed the garlic bread in hand and was about to respond when Levi turned around and made his way back into the kitchen without another word, leaving the poor lawyer with a racing heart and words left hanging in the air, unspoken. 

* * *

Levi woke up the next day with a slight headache and a new weight on his chest. Confused by the change of events, he wrecked his brain only for images of the tall, big, blond rookie lawyer - was his name Erwin? - to appear. Sighing in defeat, he got up and decided that starting the day was a far more productive use of his time than thinking about a man who he didn’t want to admit he was starting to have a crush on. Turning on the radio, the chirpy voice of the DJ talking about the day's weather filled the tiny apartment, and Levi went on to take a shower. Monday was always hectic; new week, new sets of paperwork to shovel through. The restaurant was closed on Mondays and Wednesdays due to everyone’s schedules, and Kenny couldn’t be bothered to hire another set of help and simply went along with what he was able to work with. As the shower spray pelted him with cold water, Levi was trying to gather his thoughts once more. Too much down time to think meant a certain blonde ‘hunk’ will make his presence known once more. 

_ ‘Tch, how annoying’  _ Levi murmured to himself, turning the shower off and proceeding to get on with the rest of his day. And as is the nature of every Monday, he spent his morning and afternoon sorting out last minute request forms from the first year students and filling in the schedules for professors whilst downing at least 4 cups of caffeinated tea to help give him the energy boost he so desperately needed. Sasha dropped by his cubicle during lunch to hand him an egg sandwich, in which Levi was terribly grateful as he was trying to calm his nerves. 

“Did Eren request to drop another class?” Sasha inquired, her voice muffled as she stuffed her face with a tuna salad sandwich. 

“First of all, don’t talk and chew at the same time you disgusting ass girl. And secondly, yes,” Levi took a deep breathe before continuing, “this time he wants out of some History class. I know he hates courses with exams in them, but the kid’s a Social Science major. He’s gotta get his act together soon or he’ll be here longer than I’d like him to be.”

“Sounds like you really care about him,” Sasha mused. 

“I just don’t want to do more shitty paperwork because of him, that’s all. I have enough things to worry about already,” Levi grumbled, stamping the form with his name seal and shoving the paper in the “completed” container. 

“Other things like...Erwin?” The teaching assistant teased. Levi, who was calmly taking a sip of tea inhaled too quickly and became a spluttering mess, tea slightly dribbling from the sides of his mouth. His co-worker Hange, hearing the commotion happening adjacent to them, looked over their cubicle wall to check on the man and his now laughing companion. 

“Hey, everything's okay over here? Seems like you two are having a blast - why wasn’t I invited?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much, Hange-Sensei! We’re just talking about Levi’s crush on the new lawyer,” Sasha explained whilst trying to catch her breath. With that, Levi was the new subject of teasing and the unwilling receiver of Hange’s barrage of probing questions whenever they were in their cubicles, out getting lunch, using the copier and so on. Despite putting on an annoyed front, Levi was actually...happy talking about Erwin. When he returned to work the afternoon shift at the restaurant the following day, he found Erwin sitting at the exact same spot. Levi was surprised to find the man having the meal set he had previously, but didn’t question much and continued to clean the neighboring tables. The man knew he was acting like a highschool girl with an idiotic crush, but he couldn’t stop stealing glances at Erwin who now had his cheeks stuffed with garlic bread whilst intensely analyzing something written on the document he was reading. It was adorable to say the least, and Levi let himself slip into a little reverie of wondering what it must be like sitting across the lawyer; hearing him talk about his day whilst he enjoys a warm home-cooked meal made by L-

“Levi? Everything okay?” Erwin called out, waving his hand in front of Levi’s now slightly flushed face. The latter’s eyes widened, embarrassed that he was caught in a moment of vulnerability by his own doing. 

“Ah - sorry about that, I’m fine. I was just...thinking,” Levi lamely muttered, and continued wiping down the table twice as hard. 

“Oh, alright then. You were just so deep in thought I was scared for a moment,” Erwin chuckled before calming down and proceeding to just stare at Levi. The latter looked up and the two of them were now caught in a staring contest, both simply drinking in everything they could of the other and neither saying a word. It should have been awkward, but funnily enough the two men were so lost in thought about each other that neither of them had noticed Sasha and Connie secretly taking pictures of them behind the counter and Kenny rolling his eyes in amusement. This could’ve gone on for a while more if it wasn’t for the quiet little ‘ping’ that came from Erwin’s phone. The spell was officially broken - Erwin fished his phone out his pocket and Levi quickly excused himself, unwilling to stay out any longer to avoid further embarrassment. 

* * *

And so the cycle continued for a good three months; a quick glance here and there, brief exchanges and longing stares from behind the counter and seating area, neither of them going further than they hoped for. Levi could feel himself slipping, and Erwin was no better. The tension was killing the both of them and was annoying the people around them who had to, in the words of Kenny, “witness the soap drama unfold”. Hange told Levi to just go for it, Sasha and Connie continued to show their support by forcing him to serve Erwin every time he frequented their restaurant (which was whenever Levi was around apparently) and Kenny told him to “grow a pair and ask the man out already because he clearly likes you back”. Winter turned to Spring, and the two men were still about their reserved interactions. It was another slow, Sunday evening and Levi was about to call for an early closing when he saw his favourite person heading towards the small restaurant. Turning a slight shade of pink, Levi gave a small smile and Erwin returned the gesture, albeit a bit more tired looking than usual. Settling down in his favourite spot, Erwin rubbed his face and gave out a sigh; his usual cheerful demeanor dulled and the dark circles beneath his eyes more prominent than ever. The unusual sight caused worry to grow within Levi, and so he decided that it was his turn to start the conversation - bringing along a glass of orange juice with hopes that it’ll cheer Erwin up. 

“Long day?” Levi began, placing the glass down and taking a seat opposite of Erwin. 

“Yeah, you can say that...we’ve got this case and it’s draining the living life out of me, honestly. I haven’t been eating anything good other than your food,” Erwin replied, exhaustion laced in his words. Levi was taken aback, both by the complement and by the new information he’s received. Does Erwin live alone? Does he not have a partner to take care of him? 

“Huh? So what’s been keeping you alive?” 

“Red Bull and rice balls, actually,” Erwin shrugged, only then realising that the orange juice was for him. He took a small sip and uttered a small ‘thanks’ to which Levi shook his head and smiled. 

“You’d be feeling better if I was there to cook for you everyday,” Levi muttered to himself. 

“I honestly think so too.” 

The two fell into a comfortable silence once more, occasionally exchanging glances at each other - neither of them brave enough to say anything. Levi was glad he was not the only one struggling with words here. Erwin was usually so animated whilst talking about anything and everything - it’s somewhat of a pleasant change of scenery seeing him so quiet and shy all of a sudden. Levi took a deep breath and looked up to say something only for Erwin to beat him to it. They both stopped mid-word and laughed, looking like love-struck idiots. That’s what they were essentially; just two people so enraptured with one another yet neither of them knowing the right way to express how we feel. Levi’s heart’s racing but he felt at ease knowing that after all this time, the man he’s become so fond of he likes him too, that Erwin’s feeling what he’s feeling. 

“Took us long enough, don’t you think?” Erwin sighed, his face slightly more lit up than before. 

“Sorry about that, really. I’m just...not that great with words.”

“Then how about this?” Erwin motioned Levi to lean in closer, capturing the other man’s lips in a sweet and brief kiss. Indeed, there was no need for words if love is the answer. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Scream about this two with me on twitter at @senseissha 
> 
> <3


End file.
